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SCOTLAND

Dounreay (Leukaemia)

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what investigation is being made currently into leukaemia clusters around Dounreay. [7253]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 20 December 1995]: No studies relating solely to the area around Dounreay are currently being carried out but monitoring of the incidence of leukaemia in the area continues. Other relevant studies include the Scottish contribution to the Government-funded childhood cancer case control study. Linked to a parallel study in England and Wales, this is the largest investigation yet undertaken into the causation of childhood leukaemia and will cover all cases of childhood cancer registered in Scotland in the period 1991-94.

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Water Rates

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what basis the water authorities in Scotland will calculate the revenue which the unitary councils will be expected to collect in water rates. [4444]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 6 December 1995]: The three new public water sewerage authorities will set charges for their services in charges schemes for their areas. The unitary councils will be required to demand and recover unmeasured domestic water and sewerage charges payable for these services under a charges scheme less any reduction to such charges for which the Secretary of State may provide in exercise of his powers under section 81 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he is proposing in respect of the liability of the new unitary councils in Scotland to collect water rates. [4442]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 6 December 1995]: My right hon. Friend will make an order under section 79 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 requiring local authorities to demand and recover domestic unmeasured water and sewerage charges on behalf of the new water and sewerage authorities.

Oil Spillages

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many oil spillages have been detected around the coast of Scotland in each of the last three years; how many sea birds and mammals were affected; and how many prosecutions were entered against those causing the spillages. [7656]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 9 January 1996]: My noble and learned Friend the Lord Advocate advises that in each of the last three years for which complete figures are available there have been the following number of prosecutions:

1992: One
1993: Four
1994: Five

As the number of oil spillages detected in Scottish waters is an operational matter for the Coastguard Agency, I have asked my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport to ask the chief executive of that agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from C. J. Harris to Mr. Tony Banks, dated 9 January 1996:

The Minister for Transport has been asked by the Secretary of State for Scotland to reply to part of your recent Question about oil spillages around the cost of Scotland and the affect on sea birds and mammals. I have been asked to reply as the query deals with a matter for which I have responsibility as Chief Executive of the Coastguard Agency.
In the three years period 1992 to 1994, there have been 477 reported oil pollution incidents in Scottish waters. Of these, 144 were reported in 1992, 178 were reported in 1993 and 155 were reported in 1994.
In 1992 238 birds were affected by oil around the coast of Scotland. During the BRAER spill in January 1993, some 1500 to 1600 birds of all species were found dead, according to the report by the Ecological Steering Group on the Oil Spill in Shetland (ESGOSS) into the Environmental Impact of the Wreck of the

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BRAER. The ESGOSS report does not attribute any mammal deaths directly to the effects of the BRAER spill. During 1994 366 birds were affected by oil around the Scottish coastline.

Mr. J. Easson and Sons

Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what factors have led to his Department's delay in responding to inquiries made by the hon. Member for Dunfermline, West in respect of Mr. J. Easson and Sons. [7747]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 9 January 1996]: My noble Friend the Minister for Agriculture in Scotland wrote to the hon. Member on 5 January 1996 in relation to her inquiries on behalf of Mr. J. Easson and Sons. This followed lengthy and detailed discussions between the UK Agriculture Departments and the Intervention Board executive agency.

Urban Programme

Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the urban programme will continue as a specific grant in 1996-97; and when he will make an announcement about its future. [7761]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The urban programme will continue as a specific grant in 1996-97 although, as normal, grant payments will largely be devoted to reimbursing, in arrears, expenditure already incurred on approved projects. Views on the future of the urban programme as a specific grant were invited in the consultation paper "Devolution of Power to Councils" which was published on 29 December. The consultation period will end on 15 March and my right hon. Friend will announce his decision once he has given careful consideration to the responses received.

Mobile Phones

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mobile phones have been supplied to his Department in each of the last eight years; and in each of those years how many different suppliers were involved. [8039]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information is set out in the table:

Year	Number of mobile phones	Number of suppliers
1988	7	2
1989	21	2
1990	29	2
1991	23	3
1992	65	2
1993	54	1
1994	37	2
1995	72	3

Nursery Schools

Sir Patrick McNair-Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list by new local authority area, the number of nursery schools currently provided by local authorities. [8183]

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Mr. Raymond Robertson [holding answer 9 January 1996]: The information is in table 6.1 of the new councils statistical report prepared by the Scottish Office and published by the Government statistical service in May 1995.

Live Animal Transport

Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from (a) individual farmers and (b) farming organisations about the practical consequences of implementing EC directive 95/29 on livestock transport in sparsely populated areas. [8201]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Of the 91 formal responses from organisations in Scotland to the consultation paper issued in October last year on the implementation of EC directive 95/29, 36 have offered specific comments on livestock transport in sparsely populated areas. These comprise 29 responses from farming organisations and seven from individuals who are, or are associated with, farmers.

BBC Transmitter System

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what grant assistance will be available from local enterprise companies in Scotland following the proposed privatisation of the BBC transmitter system for the construction of boosters. [7998]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 10 January 1996]: It is the responsibility of individual local enterprise companies to make decisions on applications for grant assistance for projects in their area. Any applications involving booster construction would have to be considered against the local enterprise company operating guidelines laid down by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the overall resources available and their relative priority against other projects.

Scottish Ambulance Service

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements exist to provide for the public accountability of the Scottish ambulance service for its management policies and practices and to ensure its employees are not subject to victimisation. [7999]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 10 January 1996]: The Scottish Ambulance Service NHS trust is a self-governing body with its own board of directors. The trust has freedom to organise its affairs subject to the legal framework within which it operates, the guidelines laid down by the Scottish Office and the contracts negotiated with purchasers.

The trust chairman and his board are accountable to the Secretary of State via the management executive of the NHS in Scotland.

A copy of the Scottish ambulance service's policy and procedure for the resolution of differences between the trust and its employees has been placed in the Library of the House.

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Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what instructions, and on what dates, were issued to the Central Legal Office by the Scottish ambulance service in respect of the case of Mr. D. Allan Bruce of Kinlochiervie; and what action the Central Legal Office took in response to each instruction. [8285]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 10 January 1996]: I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a signed copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

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